Home ›› 06 Apr 2023 ›› Front
Tuesday’s massive fire at Bangabazar Complex market not only gutted the famous establishment but also burned down the massive clothing stocks and dreams of around 5,000 traders of making a good profit ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.
Although the government has assured quick assistance, affected traders of the market and the area are worried about whether they can open up shops again.
It’s highly likely that a market will be built in the same spot again but owners who lost their shops in the fire are uncertain about getting their shops back at the same spot in the new establishment.
Bangabazar Complex caught fire a little after 6am on Tuesday and the whole market burned to ashes within hours. The flames had also spread to several adjacent markets, leaving them badly damaged.
One of the country’s largest wholesale cloth trading markets, Bangabazar was warned by the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) numerous times about the fire risk. But market authorities apparently did not pay any heed to that.
The affected traders and shopkeepers hope that the government will give them an opportunity to turn around by providing financial support to start anew and helping them protect their shops’ positions when the market is rebuilt.
Some years ago, Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) had planned to construct a multi-storey building in the spot where the now-gutted Bangabazar market sits. But the matter got stuck after traders filed a case against the initiative.
The shop owners allege that they were worried about getting their shops back in the new building as newcomers will surely try to invade.
They still feel that way, many of the affected businessmen told The Business Post on Wednesday.
Allahar Dan Garment owner Tajul Islam said that the fire took away his entire capital. “Now I’m worried whether I will get my shop back once the market is rebuilt.”
“I’m worried about the same thing. Because when a market like this is gutted in a fire, most of the time shops lose their spots when the market is rebuilt. And here, the entire structure has been destroyed. Who knows what’s waiting for us,” said Bangabazar shop owner Rafiqul Islam.
Nazmul Islam, a shop owner at Bangbazar Adarsha Market, said, “I owned a shop here and had rented two others to run my business. I’ve lost everything. This market is over. I don't know how or when I’ll get my shop back.
“If the government does not look out for us, we will have nowhere else to go.”
Traders and shop owners alleged that various vested quarters have long been trying to either remove this market or build a multi-storey building in its place and everyone knows it. They claimed they have seen many fire incidents before and in those cases, at least some of the establishment survived.
But in Bangabazar’s case, they said, the fire did not leave anything to salvage and razed the establishment to the ground while turning everything to ashes. This has created suspicions of foul play among them.
Traders and shop owners also alleged that the Fire Service was negligent in stopping the fire on Tuesday.
FSCD Director General Brig Gen Md Main Uddin rejected the allegations on Wednesday while talking to reporters at the scene. He said the flames spread very quickly because it was very windy when the fire broke out.
Also, they think the flames spread to adjacent spots after sparks of the fire fell on the sacks of clothing materials thrown on the road by the traders frantically trying to save their products, he said.
Meanwhile, talking to the media, DSCC Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh said that he spoke to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday morning. “She told me to make a list of the victims and assess the extent of the damage. The prime minister will provide Bangabazar traders with sufficient financial assistance to help them make a rebound.”
He said that in case of any disaster, the first task is search and rescue, which ended in the later hours of Tuesday. “Now, we will provide the necessary support to these small businessmen and investors to help them get back on their feet.”
Taposh mentioned that the plan to construct a multi-storey building at Bangabazar did not see the light of day due to the traders’ case. The market’s traders and investors are now in major trouble. They should be given some time and financial support to reopen their businesses again considering the humanitarian aspects.
"Afterwards, we will sit with them with a new plan to ensure their ability to run their businesses properly. We will plan to construct a building there once that is confirmed,” he said.
He said that a new wholesale market will be built at Bangabazar in line with the previous plan. "We will sit with them [traders] and learn what they want and how. We will show the building’s design to the prime minister too.”
If/once built, the new building will still be a wholesale market, he said, adding, “Those who have been genuinely affected by the fire will get priority in the new building. They will be rehabilitated first.”
Asked if the fire was an act of sabotage, the mayor said, “So far, it seems to be an accident. However, the investigation will determine what really happened and how.”
FSCD DG Main Uddin said that 12 firefighting units were still working at the scene to take care of sparks or smoke coming out of the affected areas, including the godowns in Annexco Towers, on Wednesday.
He also confirmed that FSCD has formed a probe committee to investigate the incident. “We’ll know more about the fire’s origin after we get the report.”
Meanwhile, talking to reporters in the afternoon, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said that actions will be taken if investigations find anyone negligent over this incident.
Responding to a question, he said that it’s not the Home Ministry’s job to take action against negligent authorities of risky buildings. RAJUK and the city corporations are responsible for that.
However, he said, Fire Service gave notices to different markets in risky buildings around the capital and this market was one of them.
